SILVER CITY, N.M. – Rodeo is much more than bucking animals and fast horses.
Rodeo is a lifestyle, and every event offers something quite spectacular. For contestants, it’s a way to compete and make a living; for volunteers, it’s about creating an annual happening for the community.
For fans, a rodeo is great family entertainment filled with amazing athletic feats and explosive action. That’s why the crew from Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo and Carr Pro Rodeo take their jobs so seriously when it comes to event production. It’s why they’re excited to be part of the Wild, Wild West Pro Rodeo, set for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 6-Saturday, June 8, at Southwest Horseman’s Park.
There also will be a special section of bull riding set for 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 5. Like every other event on the scheduled for 2013, production is the key.
“Pete Carr purchased Classic Pro Rodeo earlier this year, and that makes him the biggest and best stock contractor in rodeo right now,” said Loydd Williams, chairman of the Bridgeport, Texas, rodeo committee. “When you put those two companies together, it’s going to be tough to beat in terms of bucking stock and the overall production of rodeo.
“This is not your 1960s stock contractor. This is a great production that fans will love from start to finish. Pete Carr and his crew have made our rodeo better.”
It was that kind of showcase that drew members of the Will Rogers Stampede committee to hire the Carr crews for the 2013 rodeo in Claremore, Okla.
“It was the professionalism, the production,” Petty said. “It was a well-oiled machine.
“One of the things small rodeo committees are struggling with is we must have a product to keep people coming back, and Carr Pro Rodeo brings that product that entices people to want to see that show. Once people do see it, the chances of them becoming a regular at the rodeo are higher.”
The value of the Carr production machine works quite well at rodeos of all size. In all, Carr Pro Rodeo and Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo will produce 33 events this year.
“We try to have the theatrical portion of our show not interfere with the competition side,” said John Gwatney, a production supervisor for the Carr firms. “We try to run a good, fast, clean performance without interfering with the competition.
“That’s where we’re different from other rodeo companies. If we’re not ready, the cowboy has to wait. When it comes time for that cowboy to compete, we’ve done everything we can to make that animal ready for that cowboy, so all he has to do is nod his head.”
Fans have taken notice, but so have the cowboys who make their livings on the backs of the greatest bucking animals in the game.
“Both rodeo companies have put on some really great rodeos,” said bareback rider Matt Bright, a three-time Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualifier from Azle, Texas. “When you put together the kind of stock that those two companies have with their production values, it’s a great event.”